AzTa points to measures supporting growth of tourism in country

By Azernews

By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijan is a gem between Europe and Asia and a place you will not regret visiting. This amazing country, also called the Land of Fire, is located in the South Caucasus region and has unspoiled natural beauty to complement its unique culture. 

With its towering Caucasus ranges, fertile valleys, thick forests and its beautiful Caspian Sea coast, Azerbaijan is home to a remarkable natural diversity. Huge part of Azerbaijan’s territory is preserved as national parks and reserves, ranging from desert to highlands, to rolling fertile valleys, and marshlands. These landscapes offer a range of unusual flora and fauna, including ancient mountain villages.

In addition to the natural and rural attractions, Azerbaijan has a rich cuisine, changing from region to region. ‘Tasting’ Azerbaijan means enjoying juicy apples, pomegranates, grilled meats, kabab, dolma, bozbash, all perfumed with the herbs of untouched woodlands and the spices of the Silk Road.

There are ample of things to do in Azerbaijan, be it exploring the country on a horse back or simply savoring the delicious cuisine. The country offers something for every traveler. History lovers can see Gala Fortress, Gobustan, Icherisheher, etc. Adventure seekers can indulge in hiking, horse-riding hunting, etc in Guba, Shamakhi, Lankaran and other regions, or check out the nightlife of Baku.

Today tourism is developing with high speed in Azerbaijan, with a contribution of 4.5 percent to the national GDP. The country witnesses more than 2 million annual foreign tourist arrivals and thousands of domestic tourism visits. 

In 2016, the number of tourists visiting the Land of Fire amounted to 2,242 million people and this is 11.7 percent more than in 2015.

The majority of tourists came from Russia, Georgia, Turkey and Iran making up 33 percent, 22.5 percent, 13.9 percent and 10.9 percent, accordingly. 

After simplification of the visa procedure and issuing them in the national airports for citizens from Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Japan, China, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore in 2016 the flow of tourists from these directions increased.  

The number of travelers from Jordan increased twice, Kuwait - 3.2 times, Qatar – 5.5 times, Saudi Arabia and Oman – 10 times, UAE – 22 times and Iraq – 30 times. 

Azerbaijan Tourism Association  (AzTa) Chairman Nahid Bagirov said that the tourism sector of the country is ready to justify the confidence the state has placed in the sector.

Today tourism is the sphere that is ready to generate income to the country, claimed Bagirov, adding that “we feel a lot of attention and care of the state.”

Speaking about the measures that can be taken to boost the development of the tourism sector, Bagirov pointed to possibility of creating more hotels, opening new direct flights and upgrading the industry.

Firstly it is necessary to study the experience of neighboring countries, which achieved success in this sector, said Bagirov.  .

“It is important to analyze the reasons why tourists from certain countries prefer visiting the neighboring states of Azerbaijan. Annually Georgia is visited by 200,000 tourists from Poland. Why cannot we bring them to Azerbaijan? For example, we can create a charter flight to Warsaw and Krakow. In addition, we host many tourists from Saudi Arabia and Oman. We already have direct flights to Kuwait, but do not have with Saudi Arabia though the interest of tourists from Jeddah is fairly high,” he said.

Bagirov further added that Azerbaijan should also increase the number of direct flights from the regions of Russia.

"Tourists come not only from Moscow, but also from cities such as Arkhangelsk, Astrakhan and others. Many inhabitants of Russian regions do not want to fly to Azerbaijan through Moscow. These are fairly rich regions, which have direct flights to Europe, regions of Turkey, Georgia, and so on," said the head Association.

As the next step, Bagirov pointed to possibility of reaching Latin American, Japanese and Australian markets.

He further offered to introduce various incentives and preferences for travel companies that are engaged in attracting foreign tourists to the country.

Speaking about the accommodation, he said that despite the abundance of luxury hotels, the number of cheap hotels throughout the country leaves much to be desired.

Basically, there is no one- two-star hotels in the regions of Azerbaijan, there are at least four-star hotels, Bagirov stressed.

However, their availability, according to the expert, will on the one hand help the development of domestic tourism and on the other -- discover new areas of tourist flow.

“We will be able to attract tourists due to low prices. For example, if rooms in the hotels cost $20 per night, then one- week tour will cost $140. If a tourist flies by low-cost airlines, the week in Azerbaijan will cost him/her about $250. This is a very good price. It’s worth to not that here he or she will make purchases, go to restaurants, shopping festivals, visit tourist sites, purchase souvenirs - all this will help attract the foreign currency to Azerbaijan. If we have affordable hotels, then we will expand our tourist potential,” he clarified.

One of Azerbaijan’s strongest assets for tourism development is its service culture – Azerbaijanis are famous for their hospitality. This culture is best reflected in the hotel and restaurant sectors. More than 300 hotels have been built in Azerbaijan since 2014, while the capital hosts the world’s leading hotel chains.